Various marker buoys have been utilized hereinbefore for marking reefs, channels, fishing spots, boating lanes and the like. Such buoys generally consist of a float secured to the end of a line which in turn is attached to a sinker weight, and generally fall into two categories. Simple buoys are most useful in spots where the water depth approximates the length of the line because drifting of the buoy is minimized. Self-setting buoys, on the other hand, are adaptive in that some means is employed for limiting payout of the line in relation to the depth at a particular spot. The self-setting marker buoys are therefore more desirable because they can be used in a wide range of water depths without significant drifting.
Various self-setting marker buoys have been available heretofore, but the buoys of the prior art have suffered from various drawbacks and difficulties. A common approach has been to wind the line around a flat body configured to rotate when tossed into the water thereby allowing payout of the line until the weight hits the bottom. The problem, however, is how to construct a float body which will not allow additional payout of the line after the weight hits bottom, and which is stable and not unduly susceptible to the action of wind and waves. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,977,608 to Brown discloses a self-setting marker buoy wherein the stabilizing action is provided by a waisted float body of rectangular cross-section and relatively large external area which tends to make the buoy more susceptible to wave action. U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,085 to Rovner shows a self-setting marker buoy having a dumbbell-shaped float body of circular cross-section which incorporates eccentric weights for ballast, and is therefore of relatively complicated and costly construction. Another problem comprises the fact that there has not been available heretofore a self-setting marker buoy having an internal source of illumination which facilitates usage at night or under conditions of poor visibility.
A need thus exists for an improved self-setting marker buoy which overcomes the foregoing and other difficulties associated with the prior devices.